


Everything The World Could Throw

by roxashasboxers



Series: Avatar Prompt Fics [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst (It's Zuko), Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Nightmares, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-08
Updated: 2013-06-08
Packaged: 2017-12-14 07:02:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 2,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/834070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roxashasboxers/pseuds/roxashasboxers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of loosly-connected drabbles and ficlets inspired by one word prompts, all revolving around Sokka, Zuko, and their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 005. Transparent

**Author's Note:**

> Series title from You Won't Feel a Thing by The Script.
> 
> Prompts: Transparent, Scarred, Nightmare, Burn, Hands, First, Numb, Monster, Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They talk for the first time in the Crystal Catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se." or, an AU in which Sokka is the one stuck in the cave with Zuko and Azula doesn't show up.

They talk for the first time in the Crystal Catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se. It is a real conversation, one of substance and free of malice. There are no walls in place, no masks to hide behind. They bare their souls like dying men, all too aware that they may perish beneath the great city with no company but each other. Somehow their roles in this war don't seem so important any more.

Zuko explains the terms on which his banishment will be voided, though not why he was banished to begin with, and confesses that he fears he was never meant to capture the Avatar or return home. Sokka talks about how he was forced to stay behind while the other warriors of his tribe went off to fight, and admits that he's afraid none of them will ever return home either. They talk of their sisters and their own shortcomings, share feelings of inadequacy and find peace in baring their souls to one another. They learn that things are not always what they seem, that the enemy is not necessarily so, that maybe destiny isn't set in stone after all.

Beneath Ba Sing Se, they are not opposing forces in a great war, but motherless boys forced to take on the responsibilities of men. They are children who grew up too fast and still crave the approval of their fathers, even if it is something that they may never gain. They are the casualties who wish that going home was really as simple as it sounded.

When they are rescued, Zuko isn't sure he wants to leave, feeling safer with Sokka than he has in years. He has to resist the temptation to look back as they part ways, to suggest they meet again, not as Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, but as the two boys that were never allowed to exist in a world full of expectations.


	2. 242. Scarred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko overhears the team talking about the possible origins of his scar.

He hears them talking about it, sharing their theories and assumptions, the way they argue with each other over plausibility and likelihood. He considers confronting them but knows doing so would only spark questions, and he prefers it when they only talk behind his back, when he can allow himself to give in to the righteous feeling brought on by betrayal he has no right to feel. They think he gave worse in return, that perhaps it was a dying man's desperate attempt to bring his cruel torturer down. Or maybe it was a training accident, the kind suffered by overzealous pupils, by those who abuse power. They think he deserved it.

Zuko closes his eyes against a wave of anguish, eyes feeling wet.

He thinks maybe they're right.


	3. 238. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakoda overhears a conversation between Sokka and Zuko.

"What are you doing?" The young prince's voice is rough with sleep and somewhat indignant, with another emotion Hakoda can't identify buried underneath the cover of night. He slowly opens his eyes, peeking out through his lashes.

"You're cold. Scoot over." The stubborn voice of his own son responds, and he can see Sokka's shivering silhouette kneeling a short distance away.

The prince sputters, sitting up abruptly, "I'm not cold."

Sokka rolls his eyes and begins laying out his bedroll despite the golden eyes glaring at him, "You're a firebender. From the Fire Nation. Where it's like, ridiculously hot all the time. We're at an air temple and it's freezing, even for me. You can't possibly expect me to believe that you're not cold."

The prince crosses his arms angrily, "I am perfectly capable of adjusting to- Hey!"

Sokka pulls the older boy down beside him roughly, cutting off what was likely to be a rather long rant, "You're shivering."

"I am not! And I don't need you to- to _snuggle_ with me!" The prince exclaims, attempting to pry Sokka's arm from around his waist.

"Yes, you are. And if you keep shivering, you're going to wake Toph up and I'm not entirely sure she won't bring the entire temple down." Sokka insists, pulling the struggling prince tight against his chest and managing to hold on despite the other's strength.

That catches the firebender's attention. He looks over his shoulder to gauge Sokka's sincerity and suddenly flops back down, tense with frustration, but no longer complaining.

A few minutes pass and the older boy's body slowly relaxes, Sokka equally calm beside him. Hakoda closes his eyes, assured that his son isn't about to further upset the balance between the nations.

He is almost asleep again when the prince suddenly speaks, "It was a nightmare."

"Hmm?" Sokka grunts, signaling he had been close to sleep himself. He sits up a bit and looks expectantly down at the other teen, but the prince continues to stare out towards the gorge, refusing to meet his eyes.

"I wasn't shivering." He confirms after a moment, "It was a nightmare."

Sokka is silent for a beat, the sound of shifting blankets filling the void as he settles back down, "Do you... do you get them a lot?"

Zuko shrugs, eyes glowing in the darkness of the temple. He is quiet for a long while before finally answering, voice unusually soft, "Sometimes."

"Oh." Sokka says, curious but wary. He waits for Zuko to continue but the prince remains silent.

Sokka sighs and rolls back over to stare into the darkness where the ceiling ought to be, "Me too."


	4. 244. Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The prince frowns, eyes flicking around in indecision. He isn't going to leave Sokka to bleed to death - the trust he's managed to gain from the others is much too fragile - but moving him is also out of the question; he wouldn't make it more than a few minutes, and who knows how much more damage it could cause. Zuko is no healer, but he knows that any additional exertion would speed up the blood loss, and Sokka is already too pale."

"This is bad." Zuko says quietly, quickly pressing Sokka's hands back over the wound. The tribesman moans pitifully, blood slicking his fingers. His side feels like it is on fire, a white-hot agony piercing through that part of his body while the rest of him grows cold with every drop of blood lost.

"We have to get you back to Katara." Zuko decides, wrapping an arm around Sokka. He starts to lift the younger boy up when Sokka cries out in pain. Zuko quickly returns him to the ground.

Sokka shakes his head, "I can't. You're gonna have to leave me here."

"You'll die." Zuko says, and he finds himself strangely upset with the possibiliity.

"I'm not gonna let a little cut kill me." Sokka jokes, squaring his jaw against the pain, "Go. I'll be fine."

The prince frowns, eyes flicking around in indecision. He isn't going to leave Sokka to bleed to death - the trust he's managed to gain from the others is much too fragile - but moving him is also out of the question; he wouldn't make it more than a few minutes, and who knows how much more damage it could cause. Zuko is no healer, but he knows that any additional exertion would speed up the blood loss, and Sokka is already too pale.

Zuko shifts to get a closer look at the wound and hisses when his knee makes contact with the ground. He looks down to see what had caused him pain to find he'd been burned at some point during their escape. Zuko frowns as an idea begins to form, and quickly removes his belt, ignoring the confused look he receives from the younger boy. Sokka starts to ask what Zuko is doing only to have the belt shoved into his mouth. Sokka frowns, looking down his nose at the folded leather in confusion.

Zuko glances up at the younger boy briefly as he placed his hands over Sokka's, "Bite down."

Sokka does as asked, figuring that he's trusted Zuko so far, might as well keep it up, especially now that the banished prince is his only hope of survival.

Seeing that his request had been followed, Zuko looks back down at the wound. He carefully pries Sokka's hands away from it and uses what remains of the injured boy's tunic to mop up the blood in order to see exactly what he's dealing with. Sokka hisses sharply, teeth sinking deeper into the leather with every touch.

Zuko grimaces at both the feeling of blood pouring out of the body beneath him and the knowledge of what he is about to do. He takes a deep breath and forces himself to focus, trusting his instincts. He lets his inner fire build up in his chest, spread down his arms and out through his fingers, his hands heating rapidly.

Sokka gasps, clenching his teeth harder and writhing beneath Zuko as his skin begins to blacken. His hands flail wildly in distress and he instinctively tries to kick Zuko away only to find the taller boy's thighs holding his legs in place. The smell of burning flesh makes them both feel ill, and despite Sokka's movements Zuko keeps his hands pressed firmly against the wound. He tries not to think about how much damage he might be causing. They don't have any other options, and thinking about damage in the long run was only possible if he did something _now_.

Assured that he has made the correct decision, Zuko adds a little more heat, and uses his weight to hold Sokka in place while trying to block out the tribesman's muffled screams. He lets the blows from desperate hands rain down on his arms and refuses to budge.

Minutes pass, Sokka's body eventually going limp, unconscious. Zuko continues to cauterize the wound, waiting until he can no longer feel blood seeping out between his fingers before letting his flame burn out. He slowly pulls his hands back, closing his eyes tightly and reining in his roiling stomach when he feels skin pull. He takes a deep breath before looking down.

A surprised laugh breaks passed Zuko's lips as he takes in the sight before him. Sokka's skin is burned and disfigured, but the bleeding has stopped and Zuko finds himself nearly hysterical with relief, "It worked!"

The firebender allows himself a moment of rest, slumping forward over his knees. Sitting up before his panic is able to paralyze him, Zuko quickly ties what is left of Sokka's shirt over the burn as a make-shift bandage. It's rough but it'll do until they can get back to the others. Zuko hefts the lanky body of the other boy up and wraps one arm around his shoulder. He pushes them both up with a grunt. Holding Sokka's waist tightly, fingers just below the freshly cauterized wound, Zuko drags the water tribesman out from under the rocky overhang and begins the trek back towards their camp.


	5. 190. Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko's hands are a work of art.

Zuko's hands are a work of art. They epitomize his contrasting lives, the prince and the warrior both clear in his talented fingers. Identical rough patches adorn both of his palms, the calluses built up throughout years of dual-wielding. Shiny white burns starburst across that same skin from early attempts at bending, mismatched and layered.

His fingers are long and delicate in appearance, but strong and deft in action. They are as capable with an instrument as they are with a sword. Rough and strong in battle, they are gentle and hesitant as they glide across Sokka's chest. Sokka grins to try and appease the fright in the other's eyes and curls their fingers together on Zuko's next pass. He squeezes the bender's hand gently, "I'm okay."


	6. 287. First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The point is that Sokka likes girls.
> 
> But, he also likes Zuko."

It isn't that Sokka likes men. He'd been head-over-heels for Yue, and he knows that whatever is between him and Suki is more than simple admiration (though there's a lot of that too). Whatever. The point is that Sokka likes girls.

But, he also likes Zuko.

He'd thought maybe it was just excitement over befriending another boy his age, but it was more than that. It was _Zuko_. He was mysterious and intriguing, haunted and closed-off, but there was something else there, peeking through the crumbling walls he'd erected in desperation, something that Sokka hesitantly labels as hope.

Maybe that was what drew them together. They both had that little spark that wouldn't die out, that finally had a _reason_ not to die out, that spoke of second chances and insisted that happiness was possible for two boys who'd never been given a reason to believe before. Maybe that was why they were both willing to jump from this ledge, hands holding tight, as they fell into something neither had ever faced. Maybe that was why they were willing to press close and share breath, eyes wide open and locked on one another.

Maybe that was why when they both surfaced again, gasping through their smiles, their first breath together tasted like redemption.


	7. 173. Numb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko doesn't like people touching his scar.

Sokka runs his hand through Zuko's hair, fingers passing back and forth, front to back, stroking down and around. His fingertips glide across the firebender's pale skin with ease. So smooth. Zuko's eyes flutter closed in pleasure and Sokka continues to map out his face, tracing the line of his jaw and the swoop of his nose, creeping closer and closer to the rough skin he has yet to explore. He grazes the edge of the scar with the tip of a finger. Zuko jerks his face away abruptly, voice low, "Don't."

Sokka curls his fingers into a fist but doesn't lower his hand, letting it hang there uncertainly, knuckles just grazing the firebender's chin. He slowly forces himself to relax, fist unfolding before he speaks, reaching out to place his hand on the other boy's shoulder, "Zuko..."

"I said 'don't'!" The firebender yells, slapping Sokka's hand away. His eyes are alight with fury. Sokka lets his hand fall, defeated, and although Zuko feels his temper die when he see the hurt expression on the tribesman's face, he remains tense and guarded.

Sokka waits a beat before attempting to reassure the older boy, "When I said that I loved you, I meant all of you. Including this." He reaches out again, redirecting his hand towards the prince's chin when Zuko flinches. He strokes his thumb along the scar's edge, not touching, but close enough to clarify his meaning.

"It's not that." The taller boy confesses softly. His eyes are tilted downwards and Sokka lifts his head gently.

"Then why not?" He prompts, voice gentle as he tries to catch the firebender's gaze.

Zuko swallows hard, eyes shimmering more than usual. He hesitantly raises his eyes to meet Sokka's earnest face.

"Because," He says, "I can't feel it."


	8. 246. Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko's thoughts on Katara's ability to bend blood.

Zuko watches in horror as the man twists about, his limbs being contorted into odd and impossible shapes as Katara's shouts grow louder. He instinctively takes a step back, fear building in his gut. To discover that the girl he had made an enemy of has such immense power is frightening, but the part that bothers Zuko the most is that in her eyes, he's the monster.


	9. 255. Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko visits his mother's garden.

The trees are scraggly and the plants at his feet have run wild. They tangle around his ankles like they plan to pull him into the earth and collect a debt unpaid. The few flowers seem discolored and deformed, sagging like they're disappointed in him. The pond is little more than a muddy puddle, the turtle-ducks long gone. He wonders what happened to them, if they left by choice or force, if they even left at all. Could they be here, rotting beneath the rampant vines? Did they flee from the Fire Lord in terror like the rest of the world? Or were they chased like he was?

Zuko rests his hand against the scarred bark of a dying tree, one he remembers being so full of life, shedding the pink petals of cherry blossoms in the wind. The branches are bare now. More vines are crawling up the scorched trunk, dragging it down with everything else. The tree groans in the wind, an accusing creak that makes him snatch his hand back. _She left because of you,_ it seems to say. _She gave everything for you, and you did nothing to make her sacrifice worthy._

He swallows hard, guiltily, and drops his hand. Maybe coming here wasn't such a great idea after all.

Zuko leaves before he can further taint his mother's sanctuary with his presence. If the remainder of her legacy is to go up in flames, they will not be borne of his hand.


End file.
